Ordered a sample with one of my last orders. Had a gongfu session with a ceramic gaiwan. No rinse. Steeping times: 3, 5, 8, 12, 15, 25, 35, 45, 60, 90, 120.
This tea, no matter what, is quite aromatic. The dry leaf smells of brownies with a hint of sweet potato, the leaf after the first infusion somewhat of citrus, the wet leaf of barbecued red meat (which later became purely sweet potatoes), and the liquor of rich hot cocoa.
The liquor is golden, clear (not considering the fuzzies), and full-bodied. Beautiful to look at in my cup, which is the exact same one in the picture on the website. The first several infusions were creamy and tasted very chocolate-like. After that, the flavor switched gears. I could only discern one strong note of sweet potatoes, which remained until the end of the session. Also, the texture smoothed out. The last couple infusions were a bit malty. After swallowing every single cup, the aftertaste lingered for nearly fifteen minutes. I drank this throughout the day. Energizing in the morning, but a good comfort on a cold and sunny October day.
I’m not a sweet-potato-in-my-Chinese-black-tea person (as in it’s not my thing to buy), but this was delicious. The leaf – at least this particular harvest – is good quality.
I really like the YuLu